During the utilization of some systems providing for vacuum or suction, it may be desirable to move a fluid from one location to another. For example, during surgery, a suction receptacle may be connected to a vacuum source to draw various body fluids, e.g., blood, from the site of the operation through a tube for deposit and collection in a fluid collection receptacle. Typically, suction systems utilize a fluid collection receptacle and a cover which are secured together in fluid tight fashion to form a fluid collection device. Two connections are provided in the cover, one to be connected by a tube to the source of the vacuum, for example, a vacuum pump or hospital vacuum outlet station. The other connection is connected through a drainage tube to provide fluid communication with the particular area of the patient requiring drainage. The vacuum pressure applied to the receptacle carries fluid through the drainage tube to a fluid inlet port in the receptacle cover.
Since the elements of the vacuum system, e.g., the vacuum pump, and/or the vacuum regulator, may be damaged or contaminated by undesirable material such as the body fluid, the microorganisms such as bacteria associated with the body fluid and/or the debris associated with the surgery, the fluid collection device and/or the vacuum system may include a specialized structure such as a filter or a valve that prevents the passage of the body fluid (or aerosol particles thereof), microorganisms, and/or debris to the source of the vacuum.
Some fluid aspiration protocols may include a specialized filter in the vacuum system. For example, one system utilizes a filter device including a hydrophobic filter and a hydrophilic filter. The hydrophilic filter is positioned just upstream of and preferably in contact with the inlet surface of the hydrophobic filter. As the hydrophilic filter becomes totally saturated with liquid, it blocks or substantially restricts the passage of air therethrough to the hydrophilic filter, thereby signalling the need to replace the device. However, this device suffers from drawbacks in that the hydrophilic filter may be slow to fill, since, for example, the rate of water absorption of the hydrophilic filter may vary with the flow rate of the fluid, and with the wicking property of the hydrophilic filter. This may make the process rather unpredictable, and may lead to an undesirably large pressure differential.
In some systems, the inside surface of the receptacle cover may include a filter mounted thereto, e.g., upstream of the line leading to the vacuum source, so that the filter fits within the receptacle when the cover is sealed to the receptacle. In addition to requiring a specialized filter, this system requires particular fluid collection receptacles and matching covers, which must be designed to allow sufficient room for the filter. Such specialized devices may be more expensive and/or more difficult to manufacture than conventional collection receptacles and covers.
There are additional drawbacks to this type of system. Since different filters may be optimal for different applications, e.g., involving other body fluids and/or other medical procedures, a hospital may prefer to carry a wide variety of these specialized receptacle devices, to ensure that the optimum filter is available for a particular application. This entails additional expense and effort resulting from purchasing and maintaining the inventory of these different devices.
Accordingly, there is an unaddressed need in the art for a universal connector that provides fluid communication between components of a vacuum system, and prevents contamination of the vacuum system by predictably and efficiently preventing the flow of undesirable material such as laser-created smoke, body fluid, aerosols, microorganisms, and/or debris through the connector.
There is also an unmet need for a universal connector that would be compatible with a variety of fluid collection receptacles and aspiration protocols. Even more advantageously, such a connector should be compatible with a variety of existing vacuum or suction systems, without modification of the existing system(s). For example, the universal connector should be compatible with conventional central vacuum systems having suction powers generally operating up to about 30 inches Hg. Among other advantages, such a universal connector would allow a hospital to reduce its inventory of different collection receptacles while providing suitable filtration for a wide variety of protocols.